Compensating device for submarine or submergible boats.



PATENTED SEPT. 22; 1903.

L. Y. SPBAR. GOMPENSATING DEVICE FOR SUBMARINE 0R SUBMERGIBLE BOATS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN; 13, 1903.

no menu.

BY ATTORNEY WITNESSES UNITED STATES Tatented September 22, 1905.

? PATENT OFFICE.

LAwRENoE SPEAR, OF eREENPoET, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR To ELEG I TRIO BOAT COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

COMPENSATlNG DEVICE FOR SUBMARINE OR SUBMERGIBLE BOATS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 739,735, dated September 22, 1903.

Application filed January is, 1903. Serial No. 138,884. (No model.)

To atl whom, it may concern: I

Be it known that I, LAWRENCE Y. SPEAR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greenport, in the county of Sufiolk and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Compensating Devices for Submarine or Submergible Boats,of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to the class of submarine or partly-submerged war vesselsor boats carrying each two torpedoes or projectiles to be discharged from a normally submerged or underwater expulsion-tube; and the object is to compensate the weight of projectiles expanded as to preserve the center of gravity, and weight of the boat unchanged or not materially changed'during the entire cycle of operations necessary to tire or expel both torpedoes orprojectiles. V

In the accompanying drawings,-which serve to illustrate an embodiment of the invention, Figure l is a general side elevation of the de vice, the boat being in longitudinal vertical axial section. Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively a transverse and longitudinal section illustrating mechanical means for. shifting the spare torpedo or projectile forward into the expulsion-tube. Figs. 4, 5', and 6 are respectively a longitudinal and two transverse sections of mechanical means for (shifting the torpedo or projectile forward to position in the expulsion-tube. The transverse sections are taken,.respectively, at lines 1: and w in Fig. 4-.

In Fig. 1, which is a general view on a small scale, B designates a part of the boat at its bow.

E is the expulsion-tube, fixed in position in the axis of the boat, as herein shown, and C is the hinged cap, which closes the outer end of the expulsion-tube.

F is the firing-valve.

So far as described the construction is or- 1 is a gate-valve 2, whereby communication may be established between the tubes or be cut 0% at will. This valve may be of the ordinary kind and will require no special illustration or description. The tube 1 may be removable for convenience in placing a tor pedo or projectile in it when the boat is of such limited length or size as to require it. 'At its inner end the auxiliary tube is closed by a clamping shutter. or door 3, which may be similar to the door used on the ordinary expulsion-tube. The front end of the expulsion-tube E and the rear or inner end of the auxiliary tube 1 are connected or in communication through a Water-pipe 4, in which are cut-01f or stop cocks 5 and 6, the former situated near the forward end of the pipe and the latter near the after or inboard end thereof. A flooding-pipe 7 connects with the pipe 4 and hasin it a stop cock 8. This pipe 7 connects with the water of'flotation.

A pump 9, of any suitable construction, is connected on its eduction side by a pipe 10, controlled by a stop-cock 11, with the pipe 4 forward of the cock 6, and on its induction side by a pipe 12, controlled by a stop-cock 13, with the pipe 4 on the other side of the cock 6. Preferably there will be a branch 14, con- .trolled by a cool: 15, leading outboard from the pipe 12. I

So far as described the operation of the device is as follows: In order to load the tubes, the cap 0 is closed, and any water that may be in the tubes is'drawn ofi by the pump and discharged at the branch pipe 14.. The gatevalve 2 being open, the torpedoes are inserted at the rear end of the auxiliary tube 1 and placed in the positions seen in Fig. 1. It may be stated here that for lack of room a part of the tube 1 and the inclosed torpedo is broken away in this figure. The door 3 is now closed and wateradmitted to the tubes through the flooding-pipe 7. The cock Sin this pipe 7 and the gate-valve 2 are now closed. As the torpedoes are practically of the same specific gravity as thewater, it will be understood that it will not materially vary the total weight of the boat nor its trim if the torpedoes or either of them be displaced by water. When it is desired to fire or expel the torpedo T, it will be understood that the cock 5 and the valve 2 must be closed and the cap 0 be full open. The torpedo may be expelled with compressed air or with any known agent. After the expulsion of the torpedo T the spare torpedo T must be moved forwardinto the expulsion-tube. This will be effected, preferably, by closing the cap 0, opening the gatevalve 2, opening the cooks 5, 11, and 13, and closing the other cocks, if they are not already closed. The pump 9 is now set in motion, so as to take water from the front end of the tube E and discharge it into rear end of the tube 1, thus floating and driving the spare torpedo into the expulsion-tube. The gatevalve 2 and the cooks are now closed, and this torpedo may then be fired.

For refilling the tubes with two torpedoes the mechanical devices now to be described may be employed. These are hand-operated devices, which may be employed in any case when the use of the pump is not feasible or not desirable. On the top of the torpedo is a stud or projecting part 16, and this stud plays along guideways 17 in the tubes 1 and E,which are of course alined. Mounted on the tube 1 is an elongated casing 18, in which is mounted on sprocket-wheels 19 a carrier-chain 20, extending lengthwise of the tube over the guideway 17 therein, as clearly shown in. Figs. 2 and 3. Mounted to slide in a groove 21,Fig. 3, in the guideway 17 is a pusher 22, which is connected to and moves with the chain 20, and pivotally mounted in the forward end of this pusher is a dog or pawl 23, which may be elevated, when the torpedo is passed into the tube, by the stud 16, the nose of the dog dropping behind the stud after the latter passes. On the expulsion-tube E is an elongated casing 24, similar to the casing 18, in which is rotatively mounted a longitudinallyextending screw 25, which carries a pusher 26, threaded on it in the manner of a nut, and this pusher carriesa dog or pawl 27, somewhat similar'to the dog 23. The screw 25 is rotated by a crank 28, through the medium of gear-wheels 2.9,and the chain 20 is driven through the medium of a crank 30 on the prolonged journal of one of the sprocketwheels 19. The operation of moving the spare torpedo forward into position in the expulsion-tube by these hand-operated devices is as follows: The gate-valve 2 being open, the cap 0 closed, and the dog 23 in position behind the stud 16 on the back of the spare torpedo, the operator by means of the crank 30 and chain 20 drives said torpedo forward through the gate-valve into the expulsiontube E far enough for the stud 16 to pass under and take position in front of the gravitydog 27 on the pusher 26, which will be at this time in its extreme rear position. The pusher 22 should now be run back, and the operator then by means of the crank 28 and screw 25 moves the torpedo forward in the expulsiontube to its proper position for firing. When the spare torpedo is moved forward in the manner above described, it will be understood that the tubes will be full of water about the torpedoes and the valves 5 and 6 will be open, so that the pipe 4 forms a by-pass for the Wa ter to flow, so far as may be necessary, from the front end of the expulsion-tube to the rear or inboard end of the auxiliary tube. There may be a screw 31 set in the casing 24 to be set upon the tail of the dogv 27 to raise the front end of the latter, in case this is desired, in order to permit the stud 16 to pass for withdrawing the torpedo.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A torpedo-boat provided with an expulsion-tube, an auxiliary tube for a spare torpedo alined with the expulsion-tube and communicating at its forward end with the inner end of the latter, and means for controlling communication between said tubes.

2. A torpedo-boat provided with an expulsion-tube, an auxiliary tube for a spare torpedo alined with the expulsion-tube and communicating at its forward end with the rear end of the latter, means for closing the forward end of the expulsion-tube and the inner end of the auxiliary tube, and a gate-valve which controls communication between the two tubes.

3. A torpedo-boat provided with an expulsion-tube, an auxiliary tube for a spare torpedo alined with the expulsion-tube and communicating at its forward end with the rear end of the latter, means for controlling communication between said tubes,-and means for moving the spare torpedo forward from the auxiliary tube into the expulsion-tube.

4:. A torpedo-boat provided with alined tubes of sufticient length to contain two torpedoes disposed end to end, and a pipe for a by-pass connecting the forward end of the forward tube with the rear or inner end of the tube farthest inboard.

5. A torpedo -boat provided with alined tubes of sufficient length to contain two torpedoes disposed end to end, a pipe for a bypass connecting the forward end of the forward tube with the rear or inner end of the tube farthest inboard, and a pump cooperatively connected with said pipe and tubes for efiecting circulation of the water through said pipe.

6. In a torpedo-boat, the combination with the alined tubes E and 1, the closing-cap O of the outboard end of the expulsion-tube, the door 3, of the inboard end of the spare tube and the gate 2, so disposed as to cut off com munication between the tubes, of the bypass pipe 4, connectingthe outer end of the tube E with the inner end of the tube 1, and the pump connected with the pipe 4 for of footing circulation and for draining the tubes.

7. In a torpedo-boat, the combination with the two alined tubes having guideways which extend longitudinally for the play of a pro- IIO jeoting stud on the torpedo, of an endlessmy name, this 5th day of January, 1903, in chain device on one ofsaid tubes,andapusher the presence of two subscribing Witnesses. carried by said chain and provided with means 1 to engage the stud on the torpedo, whereby LAWRENCE SPEAR' 5 the torpedo may be moved or shifted in the Y Witnesses:

tube. NORMAN G. JOHNSON,

In Witness whereof I have hereunto signed D. D. FIELD. 

